Chapter 710  : Child Student Examination

The next morning, Li Qingyu got up early to make noodles.

From kneading the dough to boiling the noodles, she prepared a bowl of longevity noodles topped with two eggs, a generous spoonful of sauce, and two leaves of greens, malting it a visually appetizing dish.

“Qingzhi, come and eat your longevity noodles,” she called.

Chu Qingzhi came down from upstairs. To be honest, this was her first birthday after living for so long.

She looked at the noodles on the table and felt a little emotional. “Mother, thank you.”

“Don’t stand on ceremony with me.” Li Qingyu pulled Chu Qingzhi to a chair. “Eat quickly.”

Members of the Chu family approached one after another, offering their birthday gifts.

The elders handed the gifts to Chu Qingzhi. “Qingzhi, happy birthday.”

“Fifth Sister, happy birthday.” The brothers and sisters handed the gift to Chu Qingzhi. The gift box looked very exquisite.

“Fifth Sister, happy birthday.” The younger brother and sister handed the carefully prepared gift to Chu Qingzhi.

“Qingzhi, happy birthday.” Wu Yaqing, Ge Lihua, and Hong Yujun took out the gifts for Chu Qingzhi.

“Sister Qingzhi, happy birthday.” Li Zhangjie also prepared a gift for Chu Qingzhi.

Chu Qingyue and Ning Yuting’s birthday gift had been brought over by the delivery team yesterday. It was very exquisite and expensive.

Chu Qingzhi took the gifts one by one. Soon, she was surrounded by gifts. “Thankyou, everyone.”

Da Bai dragged a half-grown wild boar in and placed it in front of Chu Qingzhi.

It rubbed its head against Chu Qingzhi’s leg, meaning that this was my birthday gift.

The two wolves carried a badger and a wild turkey to Chu Qingzhi.

Chu Qingzhi did not expect them to give her birthday gifts. She was very happy and secretly gave the three of them some spiritual energy. “Good, go to rest.”

Da Bai led the wolves out.

When the Chu family saw this scene, they were very surprised. Li Qingyu said,

“How did they know that it was Qingzhi’s birthday today?”

Chu Qingyan raised her hand, “I told them. Yesterday, when I returned from doing makeup for my friends in the village, I mentioned it casually, and they happened to pass by.”

Everyone looked at the three animals, growing more and more fond of them, admiring their intelligence.

Tang Jinghong brought over the birthday gifts, two items: one was the birthday cake Chu Qingzhi taught him to make last night, and the other was a set of autumn dresses and jewelry from the Red Cloud Workshop in the capital, prepared early in the morning.

Red Cloud Workshop was the best embroidery workshop in the Daling Dynasty. Many people were palace maids who used to make clothes for the empresses in the palace. Their skills were superb.

The clothes there were usually made to order, and Tang Jinghong’s set was reserved when Chu Qingzhi first visited the capital.

The jewelry, too, was only recently received.

After giving his gift, Chu Qingzhi, along with Chu Xuyuan and Chu Xuyao, went to the county city. Chu Xujin, Li Qingyu, Chu Rong, Chu Qingning, and Chu Qingshuang accompanied them, while the rest stayed home to entertain guests.

Many students waited at the entrance of the county office, aged between seven to fourteen, accompanied by their parents.

The weather today was nice, neither cold nor hot.

Chu Qingzhi touched the foreheads of her two brothers, wishing them a clear mind during the exam, “Just do what you can. Don’t think about anything else.”

Chu Xuyuan was no longer nervous, “Fifth sister, we understand.”

Chu Xujin said, “I will patrol outside the examination room, accompanying you

the whole time, so you don’t need to worry about anything.”

“Yeah.”

Li Qingyu and others gave their advice in turn.

A person from the county office came out and announced, “All students, please undergo a pat-down inspection before entering the examination hall.”

All the students quickly lined up, went through the pat-down, and entered the examination hall; the process was quite strict.

After Chu Xuyuan and Chu Xuyao were out of sight, the Chu family hurried back home. Chu Xujin, who had official duties, stayed behind.

Upon returning to the village, Chu Qingzhi’s two disciples, Fan Yuru, and Rong Shiyu, arrived to give her the gifts they had meticulously prepared.

Yuan Hongjun and Bao Linjiang thought about their master being only sixteen years old, younger than themselves, feeling a bit complicated.

The villagers also sent birthday gifts. The gifts were very exquisite, and it was obvious that they had put in a lot of effort.

The relatives also sent birthday gifts over. Their gifts were relatively simple,

but they were also a token of their appreciation.

From morning until noon, Chu Qingzhi’s home was bustling with visitors, all coming to give her birthday presents. The main hall was almost too full to accommodate anything else.

Chu Qingzhi had booked the Hongyun Restaurant in the county city. By noon, the Chu family invited everyone to go there for a meal.

At the Hongyun Restaurant, business partners also gave Chu Qingzhi birthday gifts, and even the restaurant’s shopkeeper presented a gift. She truly received an overwhelming number of presents.

Everyone made small talk as they took their seats, filling the restaurant to capacity.

Many people were dining in a restaurant for the first time, excitedly chatting away, making the place lively and noisy.

Chu Qingzhi, holding a wine cup, stood on the corridor of the second floor to toast everyone, “Thank you all for attending my birthday feast. Let’s drink to this, everyone, please feel free to enjoy.”

“Feel free, feel free…”

The waiters added more dishes to the tables, replacing the cold dishes with hot ones. In total, twenty dishes were served, nearly overflowing the tables as everyone eagerly ate.

The lunch lasted for nearly an hour and a half.

With so many dishes not finished, Chu Qingzhi suggested those in need take the leftovers home. After sending off the guests, the Chu family also returned home.

In the Chu Village.

A stranger, an old man carrying two buckets of fish, arrived at Chu Qingzhi’s doorstep, “Miss Qingzhi, these fish are for you.”

Chu Qingzhi did not recognize the old man, “Who are you?”

The old man quickly explained, “My son was the patient you saved yesterday, pulled back from the brink of death. I am his father, and these fish are to thank you. Please, don’t disdain them.”

Chu Qingzhi remembered, the man was nearly lost to tetanus, “Old man, there’s no need. You take them home to eat or sell.”

The family wasn’t wealthy, and she hadn’t charged much for the treatment, which was probably why they wanted to thank her.

Seeing Chu Qingzhi refusing, the old man became anxious, “No, no, miss, please accept them. Otherwise, I won’t feel at peace.”

Chu Qingzhi, not wanting to accept but seeing the old man’s earnestness, did so, “Thank you, old man.”

Tang Jinghong walked over and poured the fish into a vat before returning the bucket to the old man.

“Miss, I will remember your kindness,” the old man said before happily carrying his buckets home.

Chu Qingzhi smiled and went to look at the fish in the vat, wondering how to consume so many fish.

Tang Jinghong approached, “The old man is quite sincere.”

“Yes, giving so many fish.” Chu Qingzhi quickly had an idea, “Jinghong, help me take the fish to the kitchen. I’ll make fish balls out of them and freeze them for later use.”

“Okay.” The two of them immediately got busy.

With only Tang Jinghong around, Chu Qingzhi could use her spells without any hindrance, making the work much more efficient. Soon, they had turned over fifty pounds of fish into fish balls.

The fish balls were snow-white and bouncy.